THE PURPOSE OF THE MACHINE-GUN TOTING SHOW IN MIAMI

[Borba100@xxxxxxxxxxx]

There seems to be a strong reaction agaist the show of force the US used in
removing Elian from Miami.  This is true among opponents of NATo and so on.
I wrote  the following in response to this cmment by a woman on the STOPNATO
e-list:

She wrote:

<  If this family was upper
 >income
 >>and white, do you think such "force" would have been used?! >>

I wrote:

Here's another perspective on this matter.  Actually, althogh Hispanic, these
people ARE quite white.  Indeed, the Cuban exile community in Miami is almost
entirely comprised of white people - look at the pictures of the protesters.
Their color is relevant because it is so untypical of Cuban society IN CUBA -
which is almost entirely black.  The exiles have a reputation in Miami for
racism and indeed, the position of black people in pre-revolutionary Cuab was
that of improverished peasants and city workers, at the mercy of their
"betters" .  Many of the privileged people fled Cuba aftger the revolution.
The old privileged classes who are especially to be found in the leadership
of the exiles.  They are not called the Miami Mafia for nothing; Cuba during
the 50s was a Mafia state..
 .
Could this be why many of the exiles hate Castro?  Not because he has
deprived Cuba of freedom but because he has deprrived them of the freedom to
make use of this huge improversihed mass?

The Cuban community in Miami is not only far better off financially than
black people in the US it is also above the norm financially compared to
other whites.  This in contrast to all non-Cuban nationalities of Hispanic
people in the US.

Concerning the raid, and the now famous picture of a machine gun Federal
agent  cornering an innocent-looking man holding Elian, I say:

Hmmmmmm.

Do I smell a rat?

The first word that comes to mind is UNNECESSARY. And the second word is WHY?
 When it comes to dramatic events, Unnecessary always makes me ask Why, it's
a habit.

Why the unnecessary show of force?  I stress here the word SHOW in SHOW of
force

* Why knock three times and THEN kick in the door? Knocking if you expect
armed resistance is crazy.  Kicking in the door if you don't expect armed
resistance is pointless except from the viewpoint of theater - an action
staged for effect. Can't these guys quietly pick a lock?

* The picture which has enraged many people - of a Federal agent sticking his
machine gun virtually in Elian's face - was taken by somebody, of course.
Since when do Gestapo-tactics-using US forces allow pictures that they DON'T
want broadcast to stay unexposed?  It is a simple matter to grab a camera,
open it, expose the film.  They do it all the time.  Why not here?  Could it
be that this rather relaxed-looking Gestapo picture was allowed, was desired?


Perhaps froce unnecessary only from the viewpoint  of APPARENT NECESSITY.
Perhaps iot was quite necessary from the viewpoint of a DIFFERENT necessity...
The raid strikes me as staged in a manner calculated to produce two effects:

1) To convince the rest of the world - which is staunchly in favor of
returning Elian  - that the US government is impartial and concerned only
with rule of law.  The idea is: the US has now made its best effort - soo
everyone has to accept that "it's up to the courts" so the boy and father
will just have to hang out (at a US base?) while bribes are dangled to get
the father to stay...I am told he was offered $4 million. In fact of course
the US government IS THE REASON Elian was ever given to his distant relatives
and the US government APPROVED his staying until it became clear it was a
disaster for international PR and only then and with great half heartedness
did the US government make noises about his being returned.  So this show of
force is strictly for appearances. What will follow, the sustained non-legal)
wrangling in the courts (whic have no jurisdiction in this matter) and the
constant wearing down of the father and offers of increasing bribes - that is
the reality.

2) The other intention of the big show of force is to produce an effect aimed
at internal US consumption: "Gestapo Attacks Kid's Family". This with the
intention of creating synmpathy for the exiles among those who oppose the US
government's brutal  tactics, e.g. in Yugoslavia - this despite the fact that
the exile organizations have been coddled by the US for many many years.

Obviously the government did not need this stagey (indeed, essentially
ridiculous) use of force since they were manifestly unlikely to confront
massive armed resistance from the load-mouthed but cowardly Cuban Mafia types
- certainly nothing requiring machine guns.

They could have had federal marshalls, in normal clothing, go in quietly and
do what they needed to do. The whole handling of this matter, starting from
not sending this kid home  last year - he was a minor, shipwrecked at sea and
all international law calls for his return - to the months of coddling the
Miami Mafia, involving the allowance of a complete misreading of the law
(which give the courts ZERO jurisdiction in this matter) followed by this
absurd show of manifestly unnecessary force - all of it points to an effort
to create sympathy in this country for the anti-Castro Cubans.  To put it
another way, if the anti-Castro Cubans wanted to pick the way Elian would be
freed, this would be it, so the whole thing smacks of intention - especially
since up til now the government has done everything to empower these same
people including deliberately misinterpreting the laws to allow this constant
delay.  Perhaps delay, followed by bribe, followed by victory is the name of
the game..Victory meaning the father decides to stay.

If that does happen, "freedom" (sic!)  will have won.  And the anger at US
militarism among many people will have been diverted into the rather strange
channel of sympathy for the anti-Castro exiles, who are led by types quite
similar to the KLA.

Best regards,
Jared
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